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pediatric dentistry

teaching-your-children-to-prioritize-dental-health

Teaching Your Children to Prioritize Dental Health 

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Our natural, permanent teeth are meant to last a lifetime. Even though children begin with primary (baby) teeth that they’ll eventually lose, caring for them is essential in ensuring that they have a healthy smile as they grow into adults. If you are having trouble finding fun, creative ways to get your child excited about caring for their teeth, Young Family Dental is here to help.

The Importance of Children’s Dental Health

Baby teeth are important to babies and small children because it allows them to begin chewing and speaking properly. Additionally, these temporary teeth also serve another important purpose: they save space for the future permanent adult teeth. 

The University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital explains that a baby tooth usually remains in the child’s mouth until a permanent tooth underneath it is ready to erupt through the gums. Once ready, the roots of the baby tooth dissolve and the tooth becomes loose and falls out. The permanent tooth starts to show a few weeks later. However, sometimes accidents happen and a child can lose a tooth too early. They can be accidentally knocked out because of a fall or have to be pulled due to disease. If this happens, a space maintainer is crucial in holding the space open until the adult tooth is ready to arrive. 

Caring for Your Children’s Teeth

As a parent or caregiver to children, you have an important role in keeping your child’s teeth healthy until they are old enough to do it on their own. The American Dental Association explains that caring for your child’s mouth should include:

  • Brushing their teeth two times a day, morning and night, with fluoride toothpaste. If you have a newborn, gently wipe their gums with a wet cloth to keep the mouth clean. For children under 3 years old, you only need an amount of toothpaste that is equal to the size of a grain of rice. For those older than 3 years old, use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste. Help your child brush their teeth for two minutes each time and make sure that you watch them until they’re old enough to brush all sides of their teeth properly on their own. 
  • Cleaning between their teeth once a day with floss. As soon as your child has two teeth touching together, begin flossing. This will help remove food between teeth and under the gums. Flossing the teeth everyday can help prevent cavities from happening between teeth. Help your child floss until they’re old enough to do it on their own. 
  • Watch what your child eats. Don’t let your baby go to bed with a bottle. Additionally, try to limit the amount of fruit juices or soda your child consumes due to the high sugar content and acidic nature of these beverages. Sugar and acid can weaken the enamel of the teeth and put your child at a higher risk of cavities. 
  • Schedule your child dental appointments. As soon as your baby turns one or gets their first tooth, they should go to the dentist. Your dentist will examine your child’s mouth and tell you what you can expect next in their development. 

Teaching Your Children to Prioritize Dental Health 

One step in making sure your children have healthy smiles is teaching them to prioritize their dental health. It can be hard to make tooth brushing fun, however, our team at Young Family Dental is here with tips on what you can do to make dental care at home more fun: 

  • Let them pick out their own toothbrush. When you go to the store, there are many different toothbrush options for children that have all the current popular television and movie characters on them. To make dental care at home more exciting, let them pick out a toothbrush that has their favorite movie character on it, or a toothbrush that is their favorite color. This small choice often gets children excited about brushing their teeth each day. 
  • Have them pick a toothpaste flavor. Children should be using a fluoride toothpaste to help them prevent cavities from developing, but there are often many different flavors that have the ADA Seal of Acceptance. Look for this seal and let your children choose a flavor from the different approved options. 
  • Make up a song. If you are having trouble getting your child excited about brushing their teeth, create a fun song to sing each time you go to help them brush your teeth. If you don’t want to make one up on your own, a simple Youtube search can bring you many different sing-a-long options to help get your child ready to brush their teeth. 

You know your child better than anyone. If these tips don’t work for your child, get creative! The most important thing is that their teeth are getting clean — morning and night. 

Schedule Your Children Appointments at Young Family Dental

Your child’s first visit to a pediatric dentist should be when they turn 1 or when they get their first tooth (whichever happens sooner). During that visit, our pediatric dentist examines your child’s tooth/teeth, gums, bite and oral tissues. Call to schedule an appointment with our pediatric dentists at one of our five convenient locations in Orem, American Fork, Saratoga Springs, Riverton or West Jordan.

 

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When Should My Child First See the Dentist? 

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Oral health care is important at every age, even before babies get their first tooth. At Young Family Dental, our pediatric dentists provide care for infants and young children to maintain optimal oral health, including preventive care and instruction on building healthy habits that will set them up for good oral hygiene for the rest of their lives. Read on to learn more about how you can care for your child’s smile and when they should see the dentist.

The Teeth of a Child

To better understand what teeth are coming in and when, here is a list of the different types of teeth: 

  • Incisors: the front teeth located in both the upper and lower jaws. Each incisor has a thin, cutting edge. They come together like a pair of scissors to cut and chew the food. 
  • Canines: the pointy teeth on both sides of the incisors in both the upper and lower jaws. These are used to tear food. 
  • Premolars: these are the teeth that have flat surfaces to crush food. 
  • Molars: larger than the premolars, these have broad, flat surfaces that grind food. 

How a Child Teeths 

The teething process can look different from kid to kid. While one child may begin teething at only a few months old, other children may not begin teething until they are one year old. Although the timing of teething is different for each child, there is a general timeline of how teeth erupt and come in: 

  • The two front teeth (central incisors) in the lower jaw are typically the first to appear. Usually this happens within the ages of 6 to 10 months. The two front teeth in the upper jaw erupt between 8 and 13 months. 
  • Lateral incisors, which are the teeth on each side of the central incisors, erupt in both jaws usually between the ages of 8 and 16 months. The lower set tends to come in before the upper set does. 
  • The first set of upper and lower molars erupt from the ages of 13 and 19 months.
  • Canine teeth sit beside the lateral incisors and come in both the upper and lower jaws between the ages of 25 and 33 months. 
  • The second set of upper and lower molars erupt between the ages of 25 and 33 months. 

Dental Care for Your Child

The most common illness in children is tooth decay. The statistics of children’s dental cay are concerning, with about 1 in 5 children suffering from decayed teeth. However, the good news is that cavities and tooth decay are entirely preventable. 

To prevent decay from occurring in your children, it’s important as parents and caregivers to understand what you need to do to take care of your child’s teeth beginning soon after birth. Some of the important dental hygiene steps to take include: 

  • Cleaning your baby’s mouth by wiping their gums once in the morning and once again at night with a clean, damp cloth to remove bacteria before they even have teeth.
  • Brushing your baby’s newly erupted teeth with a small, soft-bristled brush and water only. 
  • Once they are toddlers, you can begin brushing children’s teeth twice a day with a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste.
  • Talking with your dentist about fluoride supplements to strengthen and protect their smile. 
  • Getting dental sealants on your child’s teeth to prevent cavities. 

Other tips for caregivers to help prevent decay from happening include: 

  • Limiting the amount of sugary drinks and milk in bottles, especially at bedtime. 
  • Teaching your child to use a sippy cup rather than a bottle once they turn one year old. 
  • Limiting the amount of sugar in your child’s diet, especially sweet snacks between meals. 

Pediatric Dentistry

Your child should visit a pediatric dentist when they get their first tooth or when they turn 1, whichever happens first. During that first visit, our pediatric dentist will examine your child’s mouth, teeth, and gums and look for any potential bite and oral health issues. We will also help you understand how you can better care for your child’s teeth and when you can expect to bring them back in for a checkup. These visits, even though they are simple and don’t include a lot of dental care, are important for making sure your child becomes comfortable with the dentist and that they are developing a healthy smile as they get older. 

Make an Appointment with Young Family Dental

If your child is ready for their first or next dentist appointment, call to schedule an appointment with one of our pediatric dentists at any of our five locations in Orem, American Fork, Saratoga Springs, Riverton, or West Jordan. 

 

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